Wednesday, September 12

Inspired by our last road trip, here are some of the more accessible names taken from towns & cities in California —

Anselmo — one of the "San-" cities, Anselmo struck me as a particularly usable choice. I've always liked Anselm, a name derived from Germanic elements meaning "god" and "protection." Saint Anselm himself was a philosopher monk who held the title of Archbishop of Cantebury. If you like Elmo, using it as a nickname might help avoid the red-puppet connotations somewhat

Atherton — suitable for a boy or a girl (actor Don Johnson has a daughter named Atherton Grace) this name might appeal to the surname-loving set. It's got Madison-vibes with a less-stale, 21st century preppie twist

Avenal — named by Spanish soldiers & explorers, Avenal means "oat field." This is one I see when we drive from Los Angeles to Sonoma, and I always wondered if it was named for someone with the surname Laneva (read it backwards). Nice to know the real meaning, though, and I think it might be a good way to use the popular "Av-" element in a less frilly way

Beaumont — Beau's a guilty pleasure of mine, for boys & girls, and I've never really thought much about its longer forms. Beauregard is nice, but a little better suited to like, a race horse. Or a sailboat. Beaumont is a bit more rugged and unexpected, plus it opens up the Monty-nickname possibility

Blythe — another one from road-trip-city. Ironically, Blythe (meaning "cheerful") is a pretty dismal place, good for 2 things: Popeye's Chicken and filling up the gas tank. Also, I think it has a Starbucks. But the name is lovely. I've met a few and it's always so nice to hear it used

Clarita — my favorite of the "Santa-" city names, I think Clarita deserves a closer look. Traditionally a Spanish nickname for Clara, meaning "clear," I think it has a sweet, old-lady feel without being too dusty. I can totally picture it on a baby, young girl and grown-up

Clovis — though Clarita's starting to sound fresh again, Clovis probably has a way to go. I've seen a few Clovers pop up here and there, but I think Clovis has more substance. Love that unusual, retro "-vis" ending. Not sure if I prefer this on a boy or girl, though

Colma — I actually went to high school with a girl named Colma. Here's a creepy factoid: Colma, CA has so much land dedicated to cemeteries that the dead outnumber the living by over a thousand to one. (Its town motto is "It's great to be alive in Colma!") It's the feminine form of Irish name Colm, meaning "dove"

Gilroy — okay, Clovis and Gilroy! Stay with me. They're like two guys sitting on a front porch playing banjo. I can't resist. Gilroy is known as "the garlic capital of the world," a delicious claim which prompted my husband and I to stop there for dinner once. That garlic pizza may or may not be the reason I kind of love this name ...

Indio — Indio just oozes cool. I prefer it to Indigo and Indiana, which I see on lists from time to time. Robert Downey, Jr. used it for his first son, a funny choice since Downey is also the name of a California town

Elsinore — love Shakespeare? Love California? Can't decide between Elsa and Eleanor? Then this is the name for you. It was the name of Hamlet's castle, and comes from the Danish word for "narrow strait"

Morro — this word means "pebble" in Spanish, which is sort of a sweet meaning. I think its similarity to trendy choices like Arlo and Milo could help it get some traction as a first name

Ojai — named by the Chumash indians (from a word meaning "moon"), Ojai is known as the "Shangri-la of southern California." I love that it manages to sound sharp and lyrical at the same time

Reedley — this one struck me as particularly trendy-sounding. It's not generally my thing, name-wise, but I can see lots of people being intrigued by it

Tiburon— from the Spanish wordtiburón, meaning "shark." This one falls into the category of "uber-masculine nature names" like, say, Everest, Tahoe, Eagle or Falcon

Monday, September 10

detail of the visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon by Sir Edward John Poynter

Last Sunday night, I was watching a TV show and the villain's name — Solomon — stood out. I once used the name for a baddie-boy character, too, and a namer just can't resist a coincidence like that. Since then, Solomon's been on my mind. It's a name that's never made it onto my favorites list but that I've always admired, for its history, its surprising versatility and its lovely aesthetic appeal.

Solomon derives from shalom, the Hebrew word for peace — a wonderfully simple meaning that's pretty hard to beat. The most famous Solomon was a prophet king of Israel renowned for his wisdom (baby-chopping and all) but not without his faults, who appears in both Judaic and Islamic theologies. Solomon is also used as a surname and place name, and even appears in the delightfully weird nursery rhyme "Solomon Grundy":

Solomon Grundy,

Born on a Monday,

Christened on Tuesday,

Married on Wednesday,

Took ill on Thursday,

Grew worse on Friday,

Died on Saturday,

Buried on Sunday.

That was the end,

Of Solomon Grundy.

Solomon has been in the American top 1,000 for ages — back in 1880 it ranked #198. It stayed in the #200s-zone until the 1920s, when it began a somewhat steeper decline, falling to its lowest point, #711, in 1962. However, a half-century of decline is no big deal to a solid guy like Solomon. A decade later, it was sitting pretty at #669, and in 1982 it was back in the game at #496. Though its rise hasn't been the steadiest, in 2011 it ranked at #449, a number that puts it well within the comfortable "heard-of, but not overused" category. All it would take for Solomon to become a top 100 mainstay again is a little pop-culture nudge to tip it from "specifically religious" to "weighty, yet accessible." I even think it has a little bit of the cute-old-dude-in-suspenders air, and seems right at home next to more popular favorites like Henry and Oliver. The nickname possibilities are beyond adorable (I'm thinking Solly for a little boy and Sol for a teenager) and the soft Os and L make for a refreshing sound in a boys name.

Not just for villains and kings, Solomon is definitely deserving of a spot on a few more favorites lists.